Research Workshop

In class Friday, I asked everyone to do the following for Monday (Mar 22).

Choose a subject that you know well enough to consider yourself an expert. (Any subject is acceptable -- it does not have to be academic.)

Find a writing sample that's intended for experts in your subject. (An expert would read this document in order to learn from other experts, or in order to participate in an activity on an expert level.)

Find a different writing sample that is intended for beginners. (A beginner would read this document in order to learn from the experts, or in order to participate in an activity on a beginner level.)

Examples might include a book, magazine or newspaper story, or a web page. Bring your documents to class, and be prepared to discuss what makes the beginner document appropriate for beginners, and what makes the expert document appropriate for experts.

I'll pick the topic of classic computer games; I will pick a sample "beginner" and a sample "expert" document, and I'll post a few questions that should help you think usefully about the samples you bring to class Monday.

Here is an example of a beginner writing sample: Adrew Vestal and Nich Maragos, "Magic Words: Interactive Fiction in the 21st Century" What is the purpose of the site that published it? Is the typical reader reading this page for pleasure, for school, for work? How does the typical reader know whether this is a "good" piece of writing?

Here is an example of an expert writing sample: Terry Harpold, "Screw the Grue: Mediality, Metalipsis, Recapture." What cues from this site help you figure out the purpose? Why does the typical reader of this document want to read it? How does the typical reader of this document know whether this is a "good" piece of writing?